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Yanks would trust Cervelli at first in a pinch

4/13/13: Due to injuries, second baseman Robinson Cano plays shortstop for the first time and catcher Francisco Cervelli plays second base

By Bryan Hoch
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MLB.com |

TORONTO -- Francisco Cervelli swapped his catcher's mitt for a first baseman's glove on Sunday morning, taking some ground balls on the artificial turf at Rogers Centre.

Cervelli has never played first base, but with regular first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, Yankees manager Joe Girardi has tossed Cervelli's name into the mix as a backup to Kelly Johnson.

For Girardi, Cervelli fits the bill because he has shown the ability to be an emergency infielder. Cervelli has appeared in four games at third base and two games at second base during his big league career. He played an inning at second base last season.

"Cervy has taken a lot of ground balls, and he has played infield before; not recently, but he has played infield before," Girardi said. "He takes a lot of ground balls. He looks pretty competent at it."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.